Device and system for three-dimensional scanning, and method thereof

Abstract

A device for three-dimensional scanning of an object includes a detector adapted to obtain orientation information of the device, optics adapted to obtain planar information about a position of the device in a first reference plane of the optics, and a processor adapted to acquire the orientation information and the planar information from the detector and from the optics, respectively, and to process such information in order to obtain an estimate of a position of the device on an axis substantially perpendicular to the first reference plane, for the purpose of obtaining a three-dimensional image of the object.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for three-dimensional scanning of an object, said device comprising:
 a spatial orientation detector configured to obtain orientation information of said device; 
 an electro-optical assembly configured to obtain planar information about a position of said device in a first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly; 
 a processor configured to acquire said orientation information from said spatial orientation detector and said planar information from said electro-optical assembly and to process said orientation information and said planar information in order to obtain an estimate of a position of said device on an axis substantially perpendicular to said first reference plane in order to obtain a three-dimensional image of said object. 
 
     
     
       2. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said spatial orientation detector comprises at least one inertial sensor, including a gyroscope having three orthogonal sensitivity axes and/or an accelerometer having three orthogonal sensitivity axes. 
     
     
       3. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said spatial orientation means comprises a magnetometric sensor. 
     
     
       4. The device according to  claim 3 , wherein the magnetometric sensor comprises a magnetometer having three orthogonal sensitivity axes. 
     
     
       5. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said electro-optical assembly comprises an optical sensor. 
     
     
       6. The device according to  claim 5 , wherein said optical sensor comprises a LED, or Light Emitting Diode, or a camera. 
     
     
       7. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said device comprises a transmitter. 
     
     
       8. The device according to  claim 7 , said device being connectable, via said transmitter, to a display that displays said three-dimensional image of said object. 
     
     
       9. The device according to  claim 8 , wherein said spatial orientation detector, said electro-optical assembly, said processor, said transmitter and said display are comprised in a single device. 
     
     
       10. The device according to  claim 7 , wherein said transmitter is of the wireless or wired type, adapted to transmit data relating to said three-dimensional image. 
     
     
       11. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said spatial orientation detector and said optical sensor comprise a storage adapted to store data relating to said orientation information and said planar information. 
     
     
       12. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said device is of the manual type. 
     
     
       13. The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said device is an intelligent mobile terminal. 
     
     
       14. A system for three-dimensional scanning of an object, said system comprising:
 a device comprising a spatial orientation detector and an electro-optical assembly; 
 a processor adapted to acquire and process orientation information from said spatial orientation detector and planar information from said electro-optical assembly in order to obtain a three-dimensional image of said object; 
 a display configured to display said three-dimensional image of said object. 
 
     
     
       15. A method of three-dimensional scanning of an object, said method comprising the steps of:
 obtaining, through a spatial orientation detector, orientation information of a device; 
 obtaining, through an electro-optical assembly, planar information about a position of said device in a first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly; 
 acquiring, through a processor associated with a storage, said orientation information from said spatial orientation detector—and said planar information from said electro-optical assembly; 
 processing, through said processor, said orientation information and said planar information in order to obtain an estimate of a position of said device on an axis substantially perpendicular to said first reference plane in order to obtain a three-dimensional image of said object. 
 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising defining operating characteristics of said spatial orientation detector and said electro-optical assembly. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said processing further includes estimating, through said processor at least one value of a quaternion, representative of said orientation information, by using a least square method. 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising filtering, through said processor, said estimate of said at least one value of a quaternion and/or at least one quaternion deriving from a measurement of said orientation information from a gyroscope by using a recursive. 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 18 , wherein a result of said filtering is represented by a DCM matrix, or direction cosine matrix. 
     
     
       20. The method according to  claim 19 , further comprising multiplying, through said processor, a data vector of said planar information by said DCM matrix in order to obtain said three-dimensional image of said object. 
     
     
       21. The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising aligning at least one second reference plane of said spatial orientation detector with said first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly optical means. 
     
     
       22. The method according to  claim 21 , wherein aligning at least one second reference plane with respect to said first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly provides for:
 acquiring, through said processor, data supplied by said detection means when said device is rotated at least once about an axis substantially perpendicular to said first reference plane of said optical means; 
 identifying, through said processor, said at least one second reference plane that contains a circumference obtained through said at least one rotation, said circumference being defined for each spatial orientation detector; 
 identifying, through said processor, rotation matrices representative of roll and pitch angles of said device, which allow said at least one second reference plane for each spatial orientation detector to be aligned with respect to said first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly. 
 
     
     
       23. The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said method further comprises calibrating and compensating for any distortion/non-linearity. 
     
     
       24. The method according to  claim 23 , wherein calibrating and compensating for any distortion/non-linearity comprises:
 acquiring, through said processor, data supplied by said spatial orientation detector when said device is rotated; 
 determining, through said processor, a three-dimensional solid which best approximates a three-dimensional distribution of said data sampled for said spatial orientation detector; 
 analyzing, through said processor, said three-dimensional solid in order to find constituent parameters thereof; 
 correcting, through said processor, raw data acquired by said spatial orientation detector in order to eliminate any non-linearity or distortion. 
 
     
     
       25. The method according to  claim 24 , wherein said correction of said raw data comprises:
 correcting an offset relative to said coordinates of the center of said ellipsoid; 
 multiplying a sample of said raw data by said rotation matrix; 
 normalizing, or correcting, each sample by dividing each component, in particular a value of Cartesian or polar coordinates, of said sample by said length of the respective reference half-axis in accordance with a first formula, in order to obtain a normalized sample; 
 restoring an initial orientation of said normalized sample by multiplying it by the inverse of said rotation matrix. 
 
     
     
       26. A computer product which can be loaded into a memory of said device or of said processor, comprising portions of software code adapted to implement the method according to  claim 15 . 
     
     
       27. The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said orientation information comprises data relating to a roll, a pitch and a yaw of said device. 
     
     
       28. The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said planar information comprises data relating to a position of said device in said first reference plane of said electro-optical assembly.